Lagos red rail will transport up to 500,000 commuters daily — Sanwo-Olu

Lagos Red Rail Line will redefine urban mobility, the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said on Tuesday.

He said this while he announced the launch of the first phase of the red rail line covering 27 kilometres with eight stations via his X page.

The Lagos Mass Rail Transit (LMRT) Red Line train commenced passenger operations eight months after it was commissioned by President Bola Tinubu.

The Red Line is a 37 kilometres North-South rail route to run from Agbado to Marina with 12 stations — Agbado, Iju, Agege, Ikeja, Shogunle, Oshodi, Mushin, Yaba, Ebute Metta (EBJ), Iddo, Ebute Ero and Marina with connection to the Muritala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) and the domestic wing.

“The train service is projected to move about 500,000 Lagosians daily as we ramp up the schedule and provide a viable means of commuting,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.

He reiterated that his administration is transforming the state’s transportation landscape, marking “our second rail system to become operational in less than two years.”

Train network

The train network was proposed in 1983 during the Lateef Jakande administration and was flagged off in 2003 during the administration of an ex-governor of the state, Bola Tinubu, 20 years later.

The Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) network is a major component of the Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP) which has been developed as a compass for the development of public transport infrastructure in the state.

The train rail lines are codenamed Blue (Okokomaiko to Marina); Orange (Redeem to Marina); Brown (Mile 12 to Marina); Purple (Redeem to Ojo); Green Line (Marina to Lekki); Yellow Line (Otta to Iddo) and Red Line (Agbado to Marina via Iddo and Muritala Mohammed International Airport).

However, the first phase of the light-powered Blue Line Rail began operations in 2023, 20 years after it was flagged off.

Red line

The first phase has eight stations — Oyingbo, Yaba, Mushin, Oshodi, Ikeja, Agege, Iju and Agbado.

The train services start from Agbado at 6 a.m. with the next leaving Iju at 7:30 a.m.

The fare ranges from N500 to N1,500. For instance, Agbado to Oyingbo costs 1,500, while commuters leaving Agege to Agbado will pay N500.

The Cowry Card is the only requirement for boarding.

Vandalism

The governor urged the public to treat the infrastructure with “the respect it deserves,” as vandalism and disruptions would not be condoned.